On the recordJuly 21, 2010
In 2007, the container ship Cosco Busan collided with the San Francisco Bay Bridge, spilling 58,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay and causing great harm, great harm to the surrounding environment, great harm to the economy of my district, and great harm to the surrounding Bay Area. Although this spill was minor compared to the current gulf coast catastrophe, the impact to the Bay Area was widespread. Thousands of birds, including 50 different species, were killed, coastal fisheries were impacted, and marine mammals died. All told, more than 200 miles of coastline was polluted by the Cosco Busan oil spill, costing more than $70 million in environmental cleanup costs. What occurred to me throughout the ordeal was the question and the confusion regarding who was in charge and what technologies were available to assess and clean up the mess. That's why I introduced H.R. 2693 last year, before the catastrophe of the Gulf of Mexico, to strengthen coordination of Federal research and development of science and technologies that will prevent, combat, and clean up spills.
